Principles for pastoral success

by Erwin Lutzer
Ministry is a challenge. How should your time be spent when there is an endless array of good things from which to choose? What should your priorities be? When you say yes to one activity, you must say no to another. A night out with the family means you disappoint the hospital patient who thinks a visit from the pastor is overdue.
There is no single right answer to the question of how much time to spend each week in counseling, visiting, studying, and being with your family. A great deal will be determined by your gifts, the size of your church, and the expectations of your congregation. However, principles do exist that should guide each pastor regardless of the specific job description:

Praying is more important than preaching. You must guard your time for prayer even more closely than your time for study. When forced to choose, make prayer your top priority. Prayer is not preparation for the work - it is the work. If your prayer life is mediocre or inconsistent, your first priority is to set aside time for this exercise. Make prayer such a priority that only an emergency would make you miss it.

Preaching is more important that administration. Many pastors spend so much time running the church that they have little time for study and reflection. Committees are necessary. Even more important is vision and the ability to move the congregation toward the goals of the church. But it is the ministry of the Word that gives the greatest impact. Ask yourself what you are doing that someone else could do; be generous in giving away all the responsibilities you reasonably can. Doing so will save you several hours a week.

The family is more important than the congregation. Pastors receive affirmation from their congregations and, as a result, often feel vulnerable to the pressure of public opinion. This explains the strong temptation to meet the expectations of the congregation before the needs of spouses and children. Pastors need to make some hard, deliberate choices in their families' favor. Time spent taking the family out for ice cream is often more important than attending another finance committee meeting. It's the small daily decisions that reveal whether you value your family above those who pay your salary.

Faithfulness is more important than competition. It's easy to get discouraged in the ministry when you compare yourself to others. Overcome a spirit of comparison and rejoice in and learn from the successes of other pastors. When you are content with your part in the kingdom's work, you will have a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Love is more important than ability. Obviously, you cannot function without gifts that qualify you for the demands of the ministry. You must know the Word and be able to communicate it, and you must have skills in leadership and working with people. Paul cautioned that all the gifts and talents were folly if not accompanied by love (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Even the best Bible teaching doesn't change lives if it's not filtered through a personality filled with love.

Oh this made me cry... good stuff from Jason

http://www.cbn.com/media/index.aspx?s=%2fvod%2fJasonUpton_110107&title=The+700+Club&prgm=700club#

the kids at the game

Ethne after a bath...

Good night...

wow! what a good night. I had coffee with the pastor tonight. It was really great. From answered prayers, to counsel on performing a wedding, to spiritual gifts tests and connecting with a shop customer... through it all God was really present and genuine Christian community outflowed through us all. This was a great moment of conversation within Christ's Kingdom. I felt blessed to share my evening with...
Jason
Scott
Matt
Ashley
Kim
Chip
Autumn
Lisa
and the crew at Kidd Coffee.

Praise Jesus! This was one of the best "coffee with the pastor" events we've had. Hopefully Jesus will continue to bless this event every single time we do it.

Funniest thing I've heard in a long time...

During the Colts loss to the Patriots this afternoon, Peyton fumbled as they were trying to come back in the last few minutes of the game. Without missing a beat, Peyton was getting off the ground and mumbled something to himself or his lineman and Corrie says...

"I think he's telling them, `hey guys, we're gonna have to go and make a commercial about this one.' "

I laughed and laughed. Michigan QB will always beat a Tennesse QB.

Ethne time...

Halloween

Zeke would not sit still, but Ethne would.